1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to personal floatation devices and, more particularly to a personal floatation device that is deflated and can be worn on a user's appendage while swimming without affecting user's mobility and can be quickly inflated and deployed when the need for use or an emergency arises.
2. Description of Related Art
It does not matter whether a person is a novice or expert in swimming, physically fit or weak, everyone has a limit to their physical endurance or may encounter an emergency after being in the water for a prolonged period of time; they may require some form of assistance to stay afloat for periods beyond such limit. Personal floatation devices (PFDs) are commonly used in recreational water sports as a safety apparatus to prevent accidental death due to drowning. This is primarily achieved through the use of buoyant materials in the PFD which help support the body near the water surface, particularly the head and face of the wearer, so they may float on or near the surface with little or no effort. The PFD may be in the form of a vest with openings for a wearer's neck, arms and waist. A strap with a locking buckle allows the wearer to secure the vest around their torso.
There are mainly two types of PFDs: a PFD made of foam and an inflatable PFD. It is preferred to minimize the bulk of the foam to allow sufficient freedom of arm and shoulder mobility demanded by recreational water sports. However the foam must be of sufficient volume in order to support the weight of an adult, and this requirement generally results in bulkiness of the PFD which many individuals find objectionable. Hard foams are typically used due to their high buoyancy characteristics and low cost. Examples of hard foams include closed cell polyethylene and polypropylene foams. One type of closed cell polypropylene foam is FF2C foam. Hard foam does not conform well to a person's body, and is therefore found to be uncomfortable during use.
Another type of PFD is inflatable which may eliminate some of the objections of the foam PFDs. However, these PFDs typically fit over the head of the user and cover the chest and may be attached at the waist; these types of PFDs are warm especially if worn during the summer time.
Therefore, many users tend to remove the PFD and place them out of reach during their activity, or abstain from wearing the PFD altogether because they find the PFD uncomfortable. It would be desirable to be able to wear a PFD which does not affect the mobility of the user wearing the device.